This guide is intended for people new to microelectromechanical
systems (MEMS) technology. It gives a brief overview of the technology
and some of the methods used to create microstructures. The guide is
not intended as a comprehensive, all inclusive, description. It is merely
a short introduction to the basic fundamentals of the technology.
You may also want to refer to our
MEMS glossary.

MEMS technology is based on a number of tools and methodologies,
which are used to form small structures with dimensions in the
micrometer scale (one millionth of a meter). Significant parts of the
technology have been adopted from integrated circuit (IC)
technology. For instance, almost all devices are built on wafers of
silicon, like ICs. The structures are realized in thin films of
materials, like ICs. They are patterned using photolithographic
methods, like ICs. There are however several processes that are not
derived from IC technology, and as the technology continues to grow
the gap with IC technology also grows.

There are three basic building blocks in MEMS technology, which
are the ability to deposit thin films of material on a substrate, to
apply a patterned mask on top of the films by photolithograpic
imaging, and to etch the films selectively to the mask. A MEMS process
is usually a structured sequence of these operations to form actual
devices. Please follow the links to read more about
deposition,
lithography and
etching.